


Not The Strangest

by Lukas_Doodles



Category: MCSM, Minecraft - Fandom, Minecraft Story Mode
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, M/M, MCSM - Freeform, Magic, Minecraft, Minecraft Story Mode - Freeform, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:02:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24031009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lukas_Doodles/pseuds/Lukas_Doodles
Summary: Jesse found something he shouldn’t have, but he’s oh so tempted to follow it.
Relationships: Jesse/Lukas
Comments: 11
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

The sound of pen-tip scratching against paper broke the silence of Jesse’s office. The smell of ink and burnt candles invaded his senses, the mind-numbing smells making him ignorant to how late he had stayed in the order hall.  
But he had to stay. There were deadlines to meet, reports to file, letters to answer - the list went on. Radar was good help, he would usually answer the letters for Jesse, and being ambidextrous was extremely useful. The last of the letters had been answered, however, and Jesse had sent Radar home to rest for the night.  
Jesse didn’t go home after him. He just stayed in the office, continuing to write, write, write...  
He dipped his pen in the ink pot, it was a fountain pen, a gift from Lukas, and was about to continue writing when his hand cramped up. He dropped the pen, ink splattering all over his desk and papers. Jesse let out an annoyed sigh before tossing the papers in the garbage and wiping the ink up with his sleeve, it was black anyway, so it wouldn’t matter.  
Jesse stared at the desk, the pen, the ink and papers, anything but his hands and sleeve. Reminders of a stupid mistake.  
Jesse stood up, quickly gathering the unfinished paperwork and stuffing it into a binder, label: Desk Work. Lukas had written it for him, it was done in purple calligraphy. It was stained by coffee and ink spills a long time ago, but that never stopped Jesse from using it. He forced the binder into his already over-flowing book bag, frowning as the clasp refused to shut. He forced it closed, pressing and holding the old metal-  
Snap!  
Jesse groaned in frustration, the clasp now broken in two. He held the pieces between his fingers for a moment before removing his hair tie- he needed to cut his hair soon- and using it to hold the bag shut. It wouldn’t hold for long, just enough so he could get home.  
The curtains were closed. He didn’t know what time it was, all his clocks were broken or had run out of battery power. He needed to get more batteries.  
Jesse grabbed his, it was Lukas’s, jacket from the coat rack, wrapping the large article of clothing around him brought Jesse some comfort, it still smelt like Lukas.  
The hallway to the main entrance was fairly long, pictures and floral decor lined the walls, wooden floors covered by a singular long rug in the middle of the floor. He didn’t stop to look at the pictures, he had already memorized the pattern of which they were hung, he was the one who decided to hang them after all. He was also the one who painted them, ironically, although if an outsider looked at the paintings, they would wonder why Jesse never put himself into any of them.  
It wasn’t that Jesse didn’t like himself, or that he didn’t want to paint himself, he really did, but his superstitions and paranoia always seemed to get the best of him. Reflections were one thing, pictures and paintings were another. He could never seem to draw or paint himself correctly. He always wanted to change, draw himself differently, but he didn’t. Couldn’t. It was a constant reminder of everything he wasn’t anymore, and he couldn’t seem to get out of the cycle.  
No matter, he was fine with looking at the pictures on the walls. His friends, family, landscapes of places he’d been, it was fine to look at. It was nice.  
Jesse made it to the end of the hall, the artifacts and treasures from past adventures now in plain sight. There were a few treasures he refused to display. One that he couldn’t.  
Jesse brushed his fingers over the treasure stands, hands lingering for slightly too long on some. The portal atlas, for example. How he yearned for the days when him and his friends could adventure freely when they wanted, when they were all young together, when they were more of a family than just friends.  
Jesse shook his head, blocking out the fond memories. No one had time for that anymore. No one wanted to visit him anymore either, Lukas was the only one who stuck around.  
Nonetheless, Jesse had still picked up the atlas, fingers flipping through the pages, eyes scanning over the ancient galactic letters and numbers. No one could read or interpret it, the language had been lost for billions of years.  
The enchantments on the book lit up, purple and blue hues flooding over the pages like flowing water. Jesse watched as the letter floated off the page, eyes widening as they began to drift through the air.  
The atlas was meant to lead people to their original world. That was what he’d been told two years ago when their portal adventures ended. It had only been a month after that when The Admin, Romeo, attacked, it was only a few weeks after his defeat when Jesse decided to settle down for good and become the official mayor of Beacontown.  
But something in his heart yearned for more. Yes, he was in a relationship, he had a big house and people who cared about him, he should’ve been happy.  
But he wasn’t.  
Jesse watched in awe as the letters began to shift, began to change in front of his very eyes. Maybe this was his original world, but the book knew best. It wasn’t what he wanted.  
Jesse followed the atlas’s trail to the door, the iron blocks had been replaced with spruce, a much nicer, warmer, contrast that he and Radar both liked.  
He pulled the lever to open the door, almost in a trance-like state of mind as he walked down the steps and into the streets of Beacontown.  
The moon hung low overhead, signaling that there were still many more hours before daylight would shine again. Clouds blocked the view of the stars, leaving the town to appear monochrome in various shades of black and grey. The only color visible was the enchantment that he followed.  
The street lamps were off, leaving the roads dark and hard to navigate. How odd, that they were off, they usually were on, if just to prevent mob spawns during the night. Jesse shrugged it off. It was probably just his mind. Of course the lights were on, he could see clearly.  
The breeze came past him, making his uncut hair flutter past his face, the soft strands tickling his nose. He reached up to brush the hair from his face, hands shaking slightly-  
Why was he shaking? There was nothing to be afraid of.  
Jesse pushed his hair back, focusing once more on the magic instead of himself, instead of fearing the dark like he should’ve been.  
“Aren’t you tired of being nice?” A voice whispered in his ear. It sounded dark, eerie almost, as it spoke. The world around Jesse suddenly became cold, his vision blurring as the wind picked up, it smelt like it was going to rain.  
He felt a hand on his shoulder, but upon turning around, there was nobody there.  
“Hasn’t life gotten tough dull for you? Aren’t you bored with current affairs?”  
Yes.  
Jesse wanted to answer. Desperately so, he wanted to tell the voice all his troubles, all his woes and disappointments, every time he was dissatisfied with life.  
“Why not take what you want?”  
The voice lulled, calling to Jesse from farther away this time.  
“I can help. Follow me.”  
Jesse stepped forward tentatively, eyes still fixated on the magic of the atlas. The world seemed to slow the further he walked, each step he took made the ground shake, the rain had come by now, the frozen droplets falling in slow motion as Jesse walked through the barren streets of Beacontown.  
“This way.”  
A tugging sensation pulled at Jesse’s hand, the same one holding the atlas, and it was then he realized where the voice was coming from.  
“Just a bit closer...”  
Jesse’s breath stopped when he came to the gates of the town. The atlas fell from his hands as his body became deprived of oxygen, a shadow like figure looming over him as he collapsed to his knees, coughing violently.  
“You’re here. Good job.”  
Jesse looked up, reaching for the figure, begging silently for help.  
But no one did.  
.  
.  
.  
”-es—?”  
Who is that?  
“Jes— it— m- , Lu—- c— —- h-a- —?”  
His body felt heavy, eyes refusing to open.  
“Jess- plea— —ke up.”  
A gentle hand draw circles on his shoulder, he felt something wet fall onto his cheeks.  
”Jesse, please.”  
Jesse opened his eyes, vision foggy as he stared up at the source of the voice. What happened? How did he get here?  
“Jesse!” A blur of yellow and purple leaned over him, a hand now on his forehead, calmingly brushing his hair from his eyes.  
“Oh, you’re awake. Oh thank the stars you’re awake.” The voice became clearer, Jesse focused his eyes, trying to make out the person above him. Everything was muddled, he felt like nothing was real.  
“Someone found you passed out near the gates early this morning, I was so worried something bad happened.”  
Jesse reached up, fingers gently sweeping the side of the person’s face before falling back to his side. He grabbed the material he was laying on, it felt like bedsheets.  
“Where am I?” He asked, voice soft. It felt like he hadn’t spoken in years.  
“Jesse- we’re at Ivor’s house. He’s making a potion of healing for you just Incase you were hurt. There’s no evidence of it on the outside, but one can never be too sure, ya know?”  
Jesse blinked a few times, vision slowly adjusting.  
“Lukas?” He asked slowly, not sure if who he was seeing was real or not.  
“It’s me. Don’t worry. Ivor, you need to hurry up. I think he’s got a concussion.” Jesse saw Lukas move, he seemed too slow.  
“Im almost done. Don’t let him fall asleep.”  
Jesse closed his eyes, ignoring what Ivor has been said. He couldn’t bring himself to care. He was tired.  
“You heard what Ivor said, Jesse.”  
He felt Lukas’s fingers brushing through his hair, the calming action making him relax.  
“Jesse? Cmon, please stay awake. It’ll just be a few more minutes.”  
A few minutes wouldn’t hurt. If he could just sleep...

—

Lukas sighed, watching as Jesse drifted back to sleep. He leaned down, gently pressing a kiss to Jesse’s forehead. He continued brushing his fingers through Jesse’s hair, worried about his safety.  
“Does anyone know how he ended up passed out at the gates?” Lukas asked, voice low and protective as he stared at Jesse’s sleeping face. He watched patiently, making sure that Jesse was still breathing as he slept. He wasn’t when they found him.  
“Not that I am aware.” Ivor kneeled by the bedside, potion of healing in his hand. He checked Jesse’s pulse before standing straight once more.  
“Sit him up. It won’t take long for him to finish drinking the potion. Jesse can sleep once he’s drunken it.”  
Lukas muttered an ‘okay’ before placing his hands under jesse’s neck and lower back and pushing him slowly into an upright sitting position. Ivor put the bottle to Jesse’s parred lips, pouring the contents down with ease. Lukas waited for Jesse to swallow the potion completely before laying him back down, almost immediately he went back to brushing Jesse’s hair through with his fingers.  
Lukas held Jesse’s hand in his own, bringing it to his lips every now and again to press a shaky kiss to Jesse’s knuckles.  
He heard Jesse mumbling something as he slept, the same sentence, yet it was indistinguishable.  
“Don’t you wanna be free?” Jesse muttered, the quiet words barely audible as Lukas listened to him.  
He looked over to Ivor, concern clear on his face.  
“He may be delusional for a few days. We’ll just have to keep an eye on him for now, Lukas.” Ivor gave Lukas a firm pat on the shoulder, he wouldn’t let his worry show, he had to be strong for Lukas, strong for Jesse.  
“Will he be okay?” Lukas asked, looking up to Ivor with a concerned gaze.  
“Only time will tell.”


	2. Comfort of the dead

Tap  
Tap  
Tap.  
It was a nervous habit of his. Lukas would bounce his foot, or tap a hard surface, or click his tongue when he felt nervous. Though, he never seemed to realize he was doing it until someone else pointed it out.  
“You okay?”   
Lukas looked up from his book, head turning to the couch where Radar sat, hands folded over one another on his lap. He looked worried, his own fingers twitching for something to do.  
“Yeah- yeah. I’m fine.” Lukas scooted his chair away from the desk, closing his book with a soft clap from the hard cover hitting the pages.  
“I’m just worried about Jesse is all.” Lukas combed his hair back with his fingers, he hadn’t been slicking it with gel lately, using a headband instead to hold the stubborn hairs in place. He stood from the chair, ignoring the small creaking noise from the floor as he walked into the kitchen.  
“I am too. He hasn’t woken up in a week, Ivor said he could take a lot longer than that to wake up, and that’s what I’m really worried about. What if Jesse never wakes up? He’s my friend and your boyfriend and lots of people care about him and depend on him and-“   
Lukas tapped Radar on the shoulder, two small glasses of milk balanced in his hands. Radar took one, muttering a ‘thank you’ as Lukas snapped him out of his rant. Another nervous habit they could add to the list.  
“Let’s try not to worry too much, okay? If we focus on the negatives then only bad will happen.” Lukas took a sip of his milk, watching as Radar did the same. The house was quiet. Usually Lukas would be listening to music and writing, Dewey sleeping on his lap, purring her little heart out when he gave her the occasional scritch. But the week had been quiet, Lukas hadn’t written a single word, excusing rushed letters to the rest of the new order, and the stereo was quiet as Lukas and Radar chatted and watched over Jesse.  
He was sleeping upstairs in his and Lukas’s bedroom, chest rising slowly, not a peep from him. Lukas had been sleeping on the couch up until last night. He finally broke, running up the stairs to their shared bedroom and sobbing his lungs out by the side of the bed. He had held Jesse’s hand tightly in his own, screaming and pleading for him to wake up.   
Jesse never did.  
Lukas had given up eventually, still sobbing as he crawled into bed next to Jesse and wrapped his arm around the other’s torso, fingers gripping tightly his shoulder. He hadn’t stopped crying until sleep and exhaustion overwhelmed him, Lukas fell asleep with tear tracks staining his cheeks.   
Now, he was sitting in the living room with Radar, both of them silent. Lukas took another sip from his cup, lips pursing together as he thought about what may happen to Jesse, mentally and physically, if he didn’t wake up soon.   
Dewey jumped into Lukas’s lap, sensing her owner’s distress, immediately purring and judging him with her nose in an attempt to make him feel better. Lukas saw Radar smile out of the corner of his eye, the young adult had mentioned how he loved animals-particularly cats and other small felines.  
“She helps, ya know?” Lukas set his drink down, using both hands to pet Dewey.  
“She knows when I’m upset. Hasn’t left me alone until you came here today. Dewey has always been a scaredy cat.” Lukas scratched behind Dewey’s ears, watching her tail curl at the end in a way that meant she was being friendly.   
“She’s a sweet kitty.” Radar cooed, scooting closer on the couch to pet Dewey’s head.   
She was a very happy cat at that moment, through she did miss Jesse spoiling her with treats. He loved to do that.  
Lukas raised his head to look at Radar, a smile on his face. He was about to speak when he saw him.  
Behind Radar was Jesse. His face was pale, nose bleeding a sickly red. His eyes seemed bloodshot, mouth agape as if he was screaming silently.  
Lukas felt his blood run cold. He opened and closed his mouth, tears coming to his eyes, he felt the breath escaping his lungs and-  
“Lukas? You okay?” Radar snapped his fingers in front of Lukas’s face. He blinked. Jesse was gone.  
Lukas looked Radar in the eyes, body shaking slightly, he couldn’t get the image out of his head.  
“I’m- I’m fine. I thought I saw something- ow!” Lukas jerked his head down, Dewey had her claws out, teeth bared with a low growl emoting from her small body. She hissed at the air, fur fluffy in an attempt to make herself look larger and more threatening.  
“Woah, what’s up with Dewey?” Radar asked, his attention now on the cat.  
“I don’t know, she’s never acted like this-“   
Lukas placed a hand on Dewey’s back, attempting to pet her, but he was met with a hiss-  
Dewey ran away from Lukas, leaving him confused and scared on the couch with Radar, his hand bleeding vibrant red.  
“Lukas! Oh, you’re bleeding! Let me get you a bandaid, okay? They’re in the bathroom cabinet upstairs, right?” Radar didn’t wait for an answer, instead he jumped up from the couch, running upstairs to fetch the first aid kit.  
Lukas felt a sense of dread wash over him. He wrung his hands together, eyes focused on his lap. He didn’t want to see what had Dewey so upset. He didn’t want to imagine-  
No. It wasn’t Jesse. It couldn’t have been. Jesse was asleep upstairs, and he couldn’t have gotten down to the living room that fast, right?  
Lukas felt a shiver run down his spine. He didn’t want to believe it. It wasn’t true. It wasn’t real. Nothing was real. Jesse wasn’t hurt, why would he be hurt? This entire week has just been a bad dream. A nightmare. It’s just been a dream is all. Just a dream. Nothing more. They were okay, they were okay, they were okay, they were-  
Lukas lurched forward, breathing heavily and coughing. He covered his mouth with his hands, eyes wide in fear and shock. It wasn’t real. He would wake up any minute now and Jesse would kiss him and they’d go downstairs and make breakfast together and laugh and everything would be okay and they’d never have to worry again they’re happy right? Happy?   
Lukas felt someone press against his back, their skin cold like ice. He felt their hands snake around his neck, pressing their dead flesh onto his very much alive skin.  
“Where were you, Lukas? I suffered, and you did nothing.” Jesse hissed, his head next to Lukas’s, never looking at him. Not him.  
“I-“   
“Shhh.” Lukas could feel as Jesse pressed his nails into his neck, he felt the skin breaking, the warm blood oozing out, tears poured from his eyes- oh god. What did he do to deserve this? Jesse was gone. This was all his fault. His fault.  
The fingers sunk into his flesh, ripping into his throat and tearing his esophagus apart.  
“It’s all. Your. Fault.”  
Lukas tried to scream, make any noise, but it was impossible. He couldn’t hear anything, just raspy breathing and flesh tearing apart.  
“Lukas?”   
Lukas’s head shot up. He looked around the room, eyes finally landing on the stairs where Radar stood with the first aid kit.  
“The bandages aren’t in here-did you fall asleep while I was gone?”  
Radar sat on the couch, his weight making the soft cushions sink inward.  
“I fell asleep?” Lukas mumbled, he still felt cold.  
“Yeah. That’s what it looked like. You were holding your head up by your neck. It looked kinda uncomfortable.” Radar unzipped the kit and took out some ointment and bandages. Lukas let Radar bandages his hand as they spoke.  
“How’s Jesse doing?” Lukas asked, his free hand rubbing his neck. What was he dreaming about again?  
“He’s sleeping fine.” Radar finished bandaging Lukas’s wound, a proud smile on his face.  
“Thanks. Hey, Radar, would you be opposed as to staying the night?” Lukas ran his thumb over the bandage, frowning as it began to turn pink.  
“Oh, sure! Any reason why you’re asking?”  
Lukas picked up his cup of milk from the table, taking one last sip before it was empty.  
“I just don’t wanna be alone tonight.” He mumbled, fingers tightening around the glass.  
He wouldn’t be alone even if Radar decided to leave. Lukas knew that.  
But he asked anyway. What comfort does one get from sleeping with a comatose man?   
They get the comfort of the dead is what.


	3. Chapter 3

Lukas scrubbed at his hands, his heartbeat thumping rapidly in his ears.

It was another nightmare. Only this time it was much worse.

Radar had left five nights ago, leaving Lukas cold and alone with Jesse. 

Jesse, who was comatose and sleeping soundly in bed.

Jesse, who’s skin had become so pale and cold.

Jesse, who’s breathe came out in gentle puff, a steady rhythm with his chest rising and falling every few seconds.

The exact opposite of Lukas. 

His hands were trembling as he gripped the cold marble sink. Lukas couldn’t think. Water was filling in the sink, the murky green water making Lukas’s stomach twist as he remembered this was the water he bathed in. 

The water he drank.

The water he gave to Jesse.

It was disgusting.

Lukas pulled his hands from the water and pulled the drain cord, watching a small whirlpool of water appear as the sickening liquid fell down the drain. 

He would need to get someone to come out here and look at the pipes. He couldn’t go with having bad water in the house.

Lukas looked into the mirror. He had bags under his eyes, but other than that he looked healthy. That was fine.

He shook the water from his hands before wiping them on his shirt, not caring about the faint green stains that appeared over the white stripes on the cloth.

The past few days had been interesting to say the least. Lukas would lay in bed with Jesse, sobbing his heart out and squeezing his hand and begging him to just please please please wake up. He never did.

Lukas fully remembered yesterday, how he couldn’t even get up to eat or go to the bathroom. He just laid with Jesse. Just held his hand. Just waited for him to open his eyes and laugh and tell him it was all some cruel joke.

Lukas knew life wasn’t that simple.

He finally stood straight, hands flying up to fix his hair. He wiped the sweat from his face, confused when he realized how cold the house was. Oh well.

Lukas’s footsteps echoed dully through the house as he walked back to the bedroom, his stomach flipping as he grabbed the doorknob. He didn’t want to walk in and see Jesse laying there so still. Even the thought of looking down on his face was enough to make his heart ache.

He turned the knob slowly, the door making a creaking sound as he swung it open.

_“...Lukas?”_ Jesse’s voice echoed in his ears, he knew it was a memory.

He wished it wasn’t though. He always wished Jesse would just wake up, just say his name, and everything would go back to normal. 

He looked up from the floor, dead eyes settling on Jesse’s still sleeping form. Funny, his hair was tussled. Lukas didn’t remember doing that.

Lukas kneeled down by the side of the bed and took Jesse’s hand back into his own, thumb stroking the underside of Jesse’s palm. 

“I miss you. Please please wake up.” Lukas whispered through shaky breathes. He still felt uneasy with Jesse, but he’d be damned if he just let Jesse lay there alone all day. The best Lukas could do was sit by the bed and wait, so that’s what he would do.

Lukas pressed his lips to Jesse’s knuckles, kissing them fondly similar to when Jesse used to return home every evening before this happened.

_ “Hey, hun. How’s the day been?” Jesse asked, holding Lukas’s hands in his own. He pulled them up to his lips and gave him a gentle kiss over each knuckle, smiling as Lukas laughed at the ticklish touches. _

_ “My day has been fine, Jesse. I’ve been missing you though, we should cuddle tonight.” Lukas said in a sing-song voice after pulling Jesse’s head up to look him in the eyes. He leaned close to Jesse, pecking him quick and simple on his lips before turning away. _

_ “I also made dinner. Come on, let’s chat about the day.” _

God. Lukas wanted nothing more than to chat about his day with Jesse again. To feel his warm hands in his own, hear his gentle voice, speak to him and have words reply to his sentences.

“I hope you wake up soon.” Lukas whispered, tears gathering in his eyes.

He laid his head on Jesse’s chest, listening for his heartbeat, before his emotions overwhelmed him. 

There was the other thing that had popped up when Jesse fell asleep. The hallucinations.

Lukas wasn’t sure if he was just tired, or if the loneliness was making him mad, or maybe he was just paranoid. 

But Lukas could swear.

Every time he broke down.

Sobbing, crying, pleading in broken whispers.

That someone would press their fingers against his neck, soothingly at first, before they became angry.

And he was left gasping for breath.

And now, Lukas lay on the floor, swallowing in air and hyperventilating as the familiar choking sensation took hold of him. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. 

He had let go of Jesse’s hand in his panic, now struggling to sit up, struggling to take in air. His lungs wouldn’t do it. No, he couldn’t breathe, they wouldn’t let him. 

Lukas was staring at the floor. He had to look up. He had to. Come on, just breathe. Breathe- please-

He lifted his head. The air returned to Lukas’s lungs, burning him with the chill that lingered in the house. Jesse’s hand was laying limply off the side of the bed, Lukas stared back at it for a second before grabbing it and placing jesse’s hand back over his heart where the other rested. 

Lukas kissed Jesse’s forehead, his body trembling. He fixed Jesse’s hair, smoothing the curls back before turning around and leaving the room.

Lukas stepped through the doorway, closing the door with a gentle click before turning and walking down the hall. Pictures of him and Jesse were strung up, taunting him of the time when everything was alright. 

His eyes caught the last one in the hall, the one on the table right before the staircase descended downstairs to the first floor of the house.

It was a picture of him and Jesse, smiling and holding hands, flowers in their hair. 

Lukas remembered that Olivia had taken that photo, the day they all got together and went on an adventure for old time’s sake. Him, Jesse, Olivia, Axel, and Petra. All five of them had gone out to a flower field to examine a crater in the middle. 

Nothing exciting had happened, Lukas remembered, but he did spend his time making flower crowns with Jesse. His favorite flower, chrysanthemums, were abundant in the field. 

Lukas had them growing in his garden now, soon they’d be blossoming, soon Lukas could trim them and lay them with Jesse. 

He took one last look at the picture before leaving the second floor of their house, his heart heavy. Lukas grabbed his bag and shoes before heading out the door. He couldn’t stay here tonight, plus he needed to go shopping soon, can’t grow everything at home.

The door closed gently behind Lukas, the lock clicking into place as he stared at Beacontown in the distance.

—

Cold hands ran across the surface of the walls, leaving an ugly green smear that sunk into the wood and disappeared every few steps. 

Footsteps echoed through the hall, slow, hollow. His hand lifted for every painting he crossed by, making sure not to harm the fragile frames or pictures left hanging.

The final picture was on a table at the end of the hall. 

He stopped in front of it, staring at it for a second before turning it upside down and pressing the glass against the table. 

He wondered how long it would take Lukas to notice.


End file.
